Past Concerts

Best of the Fest
Favorite selec­tions from the Festival are per­formed in this clos­ing night con­cert that cel­e­brates music, Carmel, the musi­cians of the Bach Festival, and the Festival’s loy­al patrons.

Fear & Hope
Two can­tatas by J.S. Bach fea­tur­ing oboe, bas­soon, trum­pet, vio­lin, and vio­la: Selin ist der Mann (BWV 57) and Erfeut euch, ihr Herzen (BWV 66)

Mozart Requiem
W.A. Mozart’s Solemn Vespers for A Confessor and Requiem, plus Peteris Vasks’s Dona nobis pacem

Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony
W.A. Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 (“Jupiter”), Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst, and Robert Schumann’s Concerto for Cello

Reflections – At the Carmel Mission
J.S. Bach, William Byrd, Lorenzo Allegri, and con­tem­po­rary works inspired by them

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture, Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite, and Joseph Haydn’s Harmoniemesse

W.A. Mozart’s Requiem as part of the 2025 Charlotte Bach Festival

MAY THE FOURTH be with you as the Greenville Symphony Orchestra brings you Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back live in con­cert! The orches­tra and con­duc­tor Thiago Tiberio bring the score to life while you watch the film!

Welcome to All the Pleasures
Sinfonia Spirituosa con­cludes this sea­son with an all-English pro­gram of music by Purcell, Handel and Boyce, fea­tur­ing tenor soloist Jonathan Saatman, Sinfonia Spirituosa’s “big band” with oboe, flute, bas­soon, the­o­r­bo, lute, gui­tar, strings, and harp­si­chord, a spe­cial guest cho­rus, and live com­men­tary by CapRadio’s Mike Nelson!

RE|STORE: Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane
Edmond Dédé, a fourth-gen­er­a­tion free per­son of col­or born in 1827 New Orleans, had an incred­i­bly suc­cess­ful career as a con­duc­tor and com­pos­er in Bordeaux, France. But Morgiane, his four act French grand opera, was nev­er per­formed dur­ing his life­time, and was unknown for more than a cen­tu­ry. Opera Lafayette, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with OperaCréole, presents the long over­due world pre­miere of Dédé’s mas­ter­piece, 138 years after its composition.

RE|STORE: Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane
Edmond Dédé, a fourth-gen­er­a­tion free per­son of col­or born in 1827 New Orleans, had an incred­i­bly suc­cess­ful career as a con­duc­tor and com­pos­er in Bordeaux, France. But Morgiane, his four act French grand opera, was nev­er per­formed dur­ing his life­time, and was unknown for more than a cen­tu­ry. Opera Lafayette, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with OperaCréole, presents the long over­due world pre­miere of Dédé’s mas­ter­piece, 138 years after its composition.

Django Reinhardt 115^th Birthday Celebration
The Page Brothers return to the Appalachian Theatre to cel­e­brate jazz pio­neer Django Reinhardt, with friends Steve Trismen (vio­lin), Jim Schaller (gui­tar), Rick Hefner (reeds), Benjamin Parker (man­dolin), David A. Wells (bas­soon), and Jonathan Priest (per­cus­sion).

Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral
Featuring a stel­lar cast of vocal soloists, American Bach’s cel­e­brat­ed hol­i­day tra­di­tion of per­form­ing Handel’s Messiah in San Francisco’s his­toric Grace Cathedral peren­ni­al­ly pro­vides a trea­sured December hol­i­day event to capac­i­ty audiences.

Dr. David A. Wells presents a con­cert of new and recent bas­soon music by liv­ing American com­posers Mackenzie Azela, Reena Esmail, Ivette Herryman Rodriguez, Shawn Okpebholo, and App State’s own Roger Zare. The pieces take inspi­ra­tion from tra­di­tion­al Cuban and Indian musics, Southern folk songs, fea­tures of the lunar sur­face, and the excit­ing array of sounds that result from plug­ging a bas­soon into gui­tar effects ped­als. The con­cert also fea­tures fac­ul­ty col­lab­o­ra­tors Dr. Alicia Chapman (oboe), Dr. Pedro Maia (vio­lin), Dr. Bair Shagdaron (piano), and Dr. Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham (flute).

National Hispanic Heritage Month Concert
Mackenzie Azela’s Things to Be and Additional Miniatures for Amplified Bassoon and Effects

In our annu­al con­cert cel­e­brat­ing authors and com­posers of Hispanic her­itage, mem­bers of the Spanish and English depart­ments will read poet­ry and Hayes School of Music pro­fes­sors will present works from the 1860s to the present day.

Best of the Fest
Favorite selec­tions from the Festival are per­formed in this clos­ing night con­cert that cel­e­brates music, Carmel, the musi­cians of the Bach Festival, and the Festival’s loy­al patrons. The pro­gram is a sam­pler of musi­cian and audi­ence favorites from through­out the two-week Festival.

Wind Divas: Stolen from the Opera Stage
Continuing the Harmoniemusik tra­di­tion, enjoy a night at the opera! Selections from arrange­ments of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fidelio, Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Gioachino Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Arvo Pärt’s Passio: A Modern Passion
Passio is one of the great mas­ter­pieces of sacred music of our time. Setting the same text that Bach used for his St John Passion, Arvo Pärt’s music weaves a cap­ti­vat­ing spell, intro­spec­tive and serene. Inspired by medieval music, Passio feels time­less and yet entire­ly new, invit­ing the lis­ten­er into a spir­i­tu­al space of still­ness and contemplation.

The St. John: A Global Passion
The St. John Passion was per­formed for the first time on Good Friday in 1724 in the Nicolaikirche in Leipzig. To mark its 300^th anniver­sary, the piece opens the 2024 fes­ti­val sea­son. J.S. Bach set the work in German, the local lan­guage, but we are pre­sent­ing the St. John in sev­er­al lan­guages, includ­ing English, Spanish, Norwegian, Hebrew, Arabic, and German.

Arvo Pärt’s Passio: A Modern Passion
Passio is one of the great mas­ter­pieces of sacred music of our time. Setting the same text that Bach used for his St John Passion, Arvo Pärt’s music weaves a cap­ti­vat­ing spell, intro­spec­tive and serene. Inspired by medieval music, Passio feels time­less and yet entire­ly new, invit­ing the lis­ten­er into a spir­i­tu­al space of still­ness and contemplation.

The St. John: A Global Passion
The St. John Passion was per­formed for the first time on Good Friday in 1724 in the Nicolaikirche in Leipzig. To mark its 300^th anniver­sary, the piece opens the 2024 fes­ti­val sea­son. J.S. Bach set the work in German, the local lan­guage, but we are pre­sent­ing the St. John in sev­er­al lan­guages, includ­ing English, Spanish, Norwegian, Hebrew, Arabic, and German.

The 300^th Anniversary of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with SC Bach

March Musical Medley
Performances and pre­sen­ta­tions by stu­dents and fac­ul­ty, con­nect­ing music with sci­ence, the sea­sons, his­to­ry, and more! Among the pieces fea­tured on the con­cert is the world pre­miere of the prize-win­ning bas­soon com­po­si­tion Seas of the Moon by com­po­si­tion pro­fes­sor Dr. Roger Zare

Awash in col­or­ful orches­tra­tion made pos­si­ble by a larg­er orches­tra of strings, winds and plucked instru­ments, this unique pro­gram reflects a long-await­ed Sinfonia buck­et list of con­tral­to and sopra­no arias that range from heartrend­ing to hilar­i­ous. Enjoy music of Bach, Handel and Rameau, fea­tur­ing the artistry of ris­ing star sopra­no Chea Kang and the extra­or­di­nary con­tral­to Sara Couden.

Johannes Brahms’s Symphony No. 4 and Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn; Felix Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture

Django Reinhardt Birthday Celebration
The Page Brothers (twins Andy and Zack) will be joined by vio­lin­ist Meade Richter, gui­tarists Jim Schaller and Phil Alley, and spe­cial guest David A. Wells on bassoon.

Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral
Featuring a stel­lar cast of vocal soloists, American Bach’s annu­al tra­di­tion of per­form­ing Handel’s Messiah in San Francisco’s his­toric Grace Cathedral peren­ni­al­ly pro­vides a trea­sured December hol­i­day event to capac­i­ty audiences.

A Baroque Christmas
In this spe­cial abridged evening per­for­mance, per­fect for the whole fam­i­ly, you’ll hear the Christmas por­tion (Part I) of Handel’s Messiah along with music of the sea­son by Baroque com­pos­er Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

Magical Spooktacular
Discover the adven­ture of live sym­phon­ic music and explore the mag­ic of Halloween and music. Be sure to wear your favorite costume!

Music for Our Moment
Caroline Shaw’s Entr’acte, Evan Meier & Christylez Bacon’s Migrations in Rhythm: A Concerto for Beatbox and Rhyme, and Dmitry Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5

Gioacchino Rossini’s Sonata a Quattro, No. 6 with Dr. Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham, flute; Dr. Soo Goh, clar­inet; and Dr. Dakota Corbliss, horn

Harmoniemusik: Gran Partita
W.A. Mozart’s Serenade for Winds and Contrabass in B‑flat major, K. 361, “Gran Partita”

Bach Cantatas
Two can­tatas by J.S. Bach: “Meine Seel erhebt den Herren,” BWV 10 and “Schwingt freudig euch empor,” BWV 36b

The Creation
A reimag­ined, immer­sive inter­pre­ta­tion of Joseph Haydn’s self-pro­claimed mas­ter­work, The Creation

Mozart, Rehnqvist, Mahler: Breaking the Ice
W.A. Mozart’s Overture from The Marriage of Figaro, Karin Rehnqvist’s “Breaking the Ice” from ARKTIS ARKTIS!, and both Gustav Mahler’s “Blumine” and his Symphony No. 4 in G Major

Father and Son
A pro­gram inspired by C.P.E. Bach’s 1786 con­cert in Hamburg hon­or­ing J.S. Bach: C.P.E. Bach’s Magnificat, G.F. Handel’s “I know that my Redeemer liveth” from Messiah, the intro­duc­tion to C.P.E. Bach’s Credo, and the “Credo” from J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor, BWV 232

Trey Makler’s “you echo in me” (World Premiere), Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and Duke Ellington’s Suite from The River

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana

J.S. Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, con­duct­ed by Derek Tam

Unsilenced Voices: Resilience and Hope—Experience this heart­felt and pow­er­ful emo­tion­al jour­ney, fea­tur­ing pieces writ­ten by impris­oned and banned composers.

Unsilenced Voices: Resilience and Hope—Experience this heart­felt and pow­er­ful emo­tion­al jour­ney, fea­tur­ing pieces writ­ten by impris­oned and banned composers.

Pink Martini in a spe­cial con­cert with Music Director Rei Hotoda and the Fresno Philharmonic

Join Sinfonia Spirituosa for “An Afternoon in Italy” as we live up to our name in a sparkling, high-ener­gy pro­gram cel­e­brat­ing Italian baroque music, includ­ing works by Geminiani, Corelli, Avison, Vivaldi, Caldera, and Brescianello.

The Concerto Resplendent: baroque con­cer­ti for vio­lin, cel­lo, flute, and bassoon

Backyard Baroque leads a musi­cal road trip through Europe of the 17^th and 18^th cen­turies as part of the Haggin’s 1^st & 3^rd Thursdays series

Back by pop­u­lar demand, “A Baroque New Year’s Eve at the Opera” will ush­er in the new year with­in San Francisco’s beau­ti­ful Herbst Theatre. Start an ear­ly night on the town with a delight­ful pro­gram of arias, duets, and instru­men­tal music from Baroque operas

A Baroque Christmas: In this spe­cial per­for­mance, you’ll hear the Christmas por­tion (Part I) of Handel’s Messiah along with music of the sea­son by Giovanni Valentini, Johann Christoph Pez, and Marc-Antoine Charpentier.

Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral: The fine­ly tuned voic­es of the American Bach Choir and the pol­ished sheen of sonori­ties brought by ABS’s peri­od-instru­ment orches­tra soar with­in the majes­tic inte­ri­or of San Francisco’s Nob Hill landmark.

Home for the Holidays 2022

Voice of the Cello: Baroque solo and trio sonatas for cel­lo, bas­soon, and violone

This pro­gram fea­tures works that range from 1629 to 1747, and will spot­light each per­former in their dis­tinc­tive role. Mezzo-sopra­no Julie Miller joins us in stormy, pas­sion­ate and inti­mate arias by Handel and Rameau that speak of love lost and won. Sonata dec­i­ma, by ear­ly Italian com­pos­er Dario Castello, engages 2 vio­lins and bas­soon in dra­mat­ic, fiery dia­log, sup­port­ed by a con­tin­uo team of the­o­r­bo and gui­tar. Tomaso Albinoni’s Sonata à cinque, com­posed in a lat­er Italian style, is full of rich string writ­ing and melod­ic charm. Artistic Director Lorna Peters will per­form Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Forqueray’s “La Rameau” for solo harp­si­chord, fol­lowed by Rameau’s return trib­ute, “La Forquerey,” for strings, flute and bas­soon. And since no Sinfonia Spirituosa con­cert is com­plete with­out French opera-bal­let music, the pro­gram will con­clude with exot­ic and col­or­ful instru­men­tal pieces from Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes.

The Faculty Woodwind Quintet per­forms, with Dr. Cathie Apple, flute; Dr. Cindy Behmer, oboe; Sandra McPherson, clar­inet; Jennie Blomster, horn; and Dr. David A. Wells, bas­soon. The Quintet will present a pro­gram that high­lights the change of sea­sons with two American works: Samuel Barber’s clas­sic 1956 Summer Music, and Jennifer Higdon’s 1995 response, Autumn Music. Two French works book­end the con­cert, with Eugène Bozza’s snap­py Scherzo (1944) serv­ing as the open­er. Louise Ferrenc’s mon­u­men­tal Sextett (1852) fea­tures guest pianist Dr. John Cozza on a vir­tu­osic part that the com­pos­er like­ly per­formed herself.

Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No.6 “Le Matin”, W.A. Mozart’s Concerto for Flute in G Major, and W.A. Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Viola & Violin

Light of My Life: Grete Pedersen con­ducts a mix­ture of can­tatas by J.S. Bach and Norwegian folk songs. With Clara Rottsolk, sopra­no; Meg Bragle, mez­zo-sopra­no; Thomas Cooley, tenor; and Dashon Burton, bass-baritone.

Beethoven Seven: Grete Pedersen con­ducts Charles Ives’s The Unanswered Question, Luciano Berio’s Rendering (Based on sketch­es for Symphony No. 10 by Franz Schubert), and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7

Family Concert: The Adventures of Leonard & Rasmus returns with a fun and enter­tain­ing show that will delight audi­ences of all ages. Auntie Lulu takes Leonard & Rasmus on a road trip across America to explore and cel­e­brate the many gen­res of music found across our land includ­ing clas­si­cal, jazz, Dixieland, folk, R & B, and many more. Some of the com­posers to be fea­tured include Florence Price, Aaron Copland, Scott Joplin, Gabriela Lena Frank, Ruth Crawford Seeger, George Walker, Woody Guthrie, and Bobby Troup.

The Devil’s in the Tales: Humanità e Lucifero (Alessandro Scarlatti) and A Soldier’s Tale (Igor Stravinsky)—on Baroque and ear­ly-20^th-Century peri­od instru­ments, respectively

Mozart’s two great unfin­ished works of sacred music: The C Minor Mass (called the ‘Great Mass’) and the ‘Requiem in D Minor.’ Performed on peri­od instru­ments, with Danielle Reutter-Harrah, sopra­no; Heidi Waterman, alto; Daniel Hutchings, tenor; Paul Murray, bass; and the Sonoma Bach Choir.

Verdi’s Requiem

François Couperin’s La Sultane, Georg Philipp Telemann’s Sinfonia Spirituosa and Overture-Suite in D Major, and a suite of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s instru­men­tal music from Les Boréades, Castor et Pollux, and Hippolyte et Aricie.

Faculty bas­soon­ist David A. Wells per­forms a recital of most­ly new and recent works for bas­soon, in col­lab­o­ra­tion with pianist John Cozza, flutist Cathie Apple, and oboist Cindy Behmer. Ulysses Kay’s Sonata (1941) for bas­soon and piano is a delight­ful ear­ly work by one of the lead­ing African-American com­posers of the 20^th cen­tu­ry. In her unac­com­pa­nied Dance Suite (2021), Jacqueline Wilson (Yakama) evokes six dance styles of con­tem­po­rary Native American pow­wows. Adrienne Albert’s Serenade for bas­soon alone was one of a num­ber of solo pieces to come out of the iso­la­tion of the ear­ly days of the COVID-19 pan­dem­ic. In his lul­la­by | bal­lad | spir­i­tu­al (2021), Shawn E. Okpebholo reimag­ines three south­ern folk songs in set­tings for flute, oboe, and bas­soon. And final­ly, Noelia Escalzo’s Argenta for bas­soon and piano draws on musi­cal styles of the composer’s native Argentina.

This con­cert will be livestreamed at facebook.com/sacstatemusic

The American Bach Soloists return to Weill Hall to per­form the peren­ni­al hol­i­day classic–Handel’s Messiah.

Handel’s Messiah in Grace Cathedral: The fine­ly tuned voic­es of the American Bach Choir and the pol­ished sheen of sonori­ties brought by ABS’s peri­od-instru­ment orches­tra soar with­in the majes­tic inte­ri­or of San Francisco’s Nob Hill landmark.

Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Camille Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Florence Price’s Symphony No. 1

Gioachino Rossini’s Overture to Il Signor Bruschino, Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21

Valerie Coleman’s Umoja, Astor Piazzolla’s Oblivion (arr. Jeff Scott), Darius Milhaud’s La Cheminée de Roi René, Amy Beach’s Pastorale, and Anton Reicha’s Quintet in E‑flat Major, Op. 88 No. 2

Gioachino Rossini’s Overture to Il Signor Bruschino, Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21

Antonín Reichenauer’s Bassoon Concerto in G Minor

The pro­gram also includes works by Leonora Duarte, Georg Philipp Telemann, Arcangelo Corelli, and Antonio Vivaldi

Antonín Reichenauer’s Bassoon Concerto in G Minor

The pro­gram also includes works by Leonora Duarte, Georg Philipp Telemann, Arcangelo Corelli, and Antonio Vivaldi

Spanish Roots—Mexican Flowerings

First Baptist Lodi’s Chamber Music series con­tin­ues with a recital by bas­soon­ist David A. Wells and pianist Dane Burg. In the space of about an hour, the two will per­form works rang­ing from refined Parisian salon music to Brazilian waltzes to vari­a­tions on an old cow­boy tune.Admission to the con­cert is free, with an offer­ing taken.

Copland’s Rodeo, Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody, Zhou Tian’s Transcend (Commissioned for the 150^th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad), and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, with con­duc­tor Christopher Rountree and pianist Orion Weiss.

In this peren­ni­al favorite con­cert, Sacramento Baroque Soloists’ cel­lists per­form a selec­tion of rich, dark, and sonorous Baroque Cello Sonatas. Dark, rich, and sonorous, and also bright, sweet, and expres­sive, the cel­lo is the most ver­sa­tile of instru­ments. In this peren­ni­al favorite con­cert, Sacramento Baroque Soloists’ cel­lists Michael Lawson and John Lutterman are joined by our bas­soon­ist David Wells to per­form a selec­tion of Baroque Cello Sonatas, accom­pa­nied by a con­tin­uo sec­tion of harp­si­chord, organ, and guitar.

In this peren­ni­al favorite con­cert, Sacramento Baroque Soloists’ cel­lists per­form a selec­tion of rich, dark, and sonorous Baroque Cello Sonatas. Dark, rich, and sonorous, and also bright, sweet, and expres­sive, the cel­lo is the most ver­sa­tile of instru­ments. In this peren­ni­al favorite con­cert, Sacramento Baroque Soloists’ cel­lists Michael Lawson and John Lutterman are joined by our bas­soon­ist David Wells to per­form a selec­tion of Baroque Cello Sonatas, accom­pa­nied by a con­tin­uo sec­tion of harp­si­chord, organ, and guitar.

Come expe­ri­ence one of the season’s most loved works, Georg Frederick Handel’s “Messiah.” Focusing on the Christmas por­tion of the “Messiah”, this con­cert will also include J.S. Bach’s Cantata 147 fea­tur­ing the well-loved choral, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” Join the Capella Antiqua Choir, Baroque Orchestra and the Cathedral Choir in the beau­ti­ful set­ting of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament for a con­cert that will soon become your favorite hol­i­day tradition.

Handel’s Messiah

Felix Mendelssohn’s ora­to­rio Elijah on 19^th-cen­tu­ry peri­od instruments.

A Handel Celebration: Dettingen Te Deum and Dettingen Anthem

Jacques Ibert’s Trois Pièces Brève

Marc Mellits’s Splinter for reed quintet

Christmas at the Mission
J.S. Bach, Christmas Oratorio, Part III and VI, BWV 248
Arvo Pärt, Seven Magnificat Antiphons

Christmas at All Saints
J.S. Bach, The Christmas Oratorio, Part IV and V, BWV 248

In the Beginning
Haydn’s mas­ter­piece, The Creation, majes­ti­cal­ly opens the 82^nd Carmel Bach Festival. The per­for­mances fea­ture the Festival’s entire com­pa­ny of musi­cians and will be sung in a Haydn-approved English translation.

Saints and Sinners
Highlights from Handel’s Acis et Galatea, Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and Bizet’s Carmen.

Bach and Shakespeare
J.S. Bach, The Christmas Oratorio, Part I and II, BWV 248
Felix Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Incidental Music, Op. 61

Join HCFG for a night of hot swing in the gal­leries of the Haggin Museum, with com­pli­men­ta­ry wine from Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery and snacks. Refreshments are served begin­ning at 6:30 and the music starts at 7.

Celebrate Stockton’s Sister Cities from around the world! The pro­gram tra­vers­es the globe with col­or­ful works from China, Mexico, Italy, Cambodia, Nigeria, Japan, and the Philippines—interspersed with some local Stockton gems. Huge com­bined choral forces will join the Stockton Symphony for the grand finale with per­for­mances by Stockton Chorale, San Joaquin Delta College and the University of the Pacific Choirs.

Sinfonia Spirituosa per­forms as part of the 2019 Sacramento State Festival of the Arts, with a pro­gram that includes selec­tions from Charles Avison’s Concerti Grossi after Scarlatti; Telemann’s Sinfonia Spirituosa and Flute Concerto in D major, TWV 51:D2 (Cathie Apple, tra­ver­so); Purcell’s “What Power Art Thou” from King Arthur (Daniel Yoder, bass) and instru­men­tal selec­tions from Timon of Athens and The Gordian Knot; Marco Uccellini’s Sonata Op. 7, No. 3 (Lindsey Strand-Polyak, vio­lin); and Rameau’s “Monstre affreux” from Dardanus (Daniel Yoder, bass) and dances from Les Indes Galante and Platee.

Songs of Joy: J.S. Bach’s can­tatas 10 (Meine Seel erhebt den Herren) and 147 (Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben), along with Corelli’s Concerti Grosso, Op 6. no. 1.

Vivaldi’s Bassoon Concerto in a minor, RV 499, along with oth­er Vivaldi con­cer­ti for flute, vio­lin, harp­si­chord, and cello.

Vivaldi’s Bassoon Concerto in a minor, RV 499, along with oth­er Vivaldi con­cer­ti for flute, vio­lin, harp­si­chord, and cello.

Faculty bas­soon­ist David A. Wells per­forms a recital of baroque music on peri­od instru­ments. The pro­gram will include works by J.B. Boismortier, J.G. Graun, J. F. Fasch, G.P. Telemann, and fea­tures guests Lorna Peters (harp­si­chord), Timothy Stanley (baroque cel­lo), Cathie Apple (tra­ver­so), Naomi Rogers-Hefley (baroque vio­lin), and Daniel Yoder (bass-bari­tone).

Sinfonia Spirituosa’s San Francisco debut pro­gram includes selec­tions from Charles Avison’s Concerti Grossi after Scarlatti; Telemann’s Sinfonia Spirituosa and Flute Concerto in D major, TWV 51:D2 (Cathie Apple, tra­ver­so); Purcell’s “What Power Art Thou” from King Arthur (Daniel Yoder, bass) and instru­men­tal selec­tions from Timon of Athens and The Gordian Knot; Giovanni Antonio Pandolfi’s Violin Sonata “La Melana,” Op. 3, No. 3 (Jubal Fulks, vio­lin); and Rameau’s “Monstre affeux” from Dardanus (Daniel Yoder, bass) and dances from Les Indes Galante and Platee.

The sixth annu­al Northwestern State Double Reed Day 2019, with guest artist Dr. David A. Wells, will fea­ture a dou­ble reed ensem­ble read­ing ses­sion, mas­ter class­es, reed class­es and a Guest Artist/NSU Double Reed Faculty recital.

San Francisco-based American Bach Soloists return to Weill Hall to per­form Handel’s Messiah – a cher­ished hol­i­day tra­di­tion. The mem­bers of ABS are lead­ing per­form­ers in the field of Baroque music, ded­i­cat­ed to his­tor­i­cal­ly informed per­for­mances of Bach and his con­tem­po­raries. Under the lead­er­ship of Music Director Jeffrey Thomas, the ensem­ble has achieved its vision of assem­bling the world’s finest vocal­ists and peri­od-instru­ment per­form­ers to bring this bril­liant music to life. 

Handel’s Messiah, a time­less mas­ter­piece, will be pre­sent­ed for the 21^st con­sec­u­tive year in the awe-inspir­ing majesty of Grace Cathedral. Perennially a sold-out event, audi­ence mem­bers from far and wide attend this Bay Area favorite that fea­tures the superb American Bach Choir and the peri­od-instru­ment spe­cial­ists of ABS in one of their largest con­fig­u­ra­tions, under the direc­tion of Jeffrey Thomas.

Home for the Holidays 2018: Radiant music for Christmas, can­dlelit pro­ces­sion, audi­ence sin­ga­long, new and famil­iar choral orches­tral hol­i­day songs, mer­ri­ment guaranteed!

Christmas Concertos by Candlelight: Sacramento Baroque Soloists explore the splen­dor and beau­ty of Baroque Christmas Concertos in this musi­cal feast of works by Corelli, Charpentier, Corrette, Torelli, and Locatelli. Featuring Robin Fisher, Soprano.

Christmas Concertos by Candlelight: Sacramento Baroque Soloists explore the splen­dor and beau­ty of Baroque Christmas Concertos in this musi­cal feast of works by Corelli, Charpentier, Corrette, Torelli, and Locatelli. Featuring Robin Fisher, Soprano.

Commemorate Veterans Day and the 100^th anniver­sary of the end of World War I with a per­for­mance of Benjamin Britten’s sear­ing and dra­mat­ic War Requiem. Weaving togeth­er texts from the Latin mass for the dead and poems by British sol­dier Wilfred Owen, who died in the trench­es of World War I, this 20^th cen­tu­ry mas­ter­piece mov­ing­ly depicts the expe­ri­ence of war from the soldier’s perspective.

Sinfonia spir­i­tu­osa presents “A Family Connection,” fea­tur­ing works by father Johann Sebastian and son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, as well as CPE’s god­fa­ther Georg Philipp Telemann.

Sinfonia spir­i­tu­osa presents “A Family Connection,” fea­tur­ing works by father Johann Sebastian and son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, as well as CPE’s god­fa­ther Georg Philipp Telemann.

An after­noon of hot swing at Modesto’s only acoustic lis­ten­ing room

A Night at the Opera: a spe­cial per­for­mance of a rich spec­trum of music span­ning near­ly 200 years includ­ing the­atri­cal mas­ter­pieces from Germanic mas­ters such as Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, and Strauss II as well as Leonard Bernstein.

Hot Club Faux Gitane makes their Berkeley debut at this cozy venue that aims to recre­ate the cozy ambi­ence of the orig­i­nal Freight & Salvage.

Hot Club Faux Gitane plays as part of the brand new Roseville Jazz Day! The whole event runs 11am-9pm and fea­tures more than 20 groups per­form­ing across sev­en venues along Vernon Street. Headliners The Manhattan Transfer play two shows at 4 and 7pm.

Sierra Master Chorale with the InConcert Sierra Orchestra

Pops Concert

Sinfonia spir­i­tu­osa is a brand-new cham­ber orches­tra ded­i­cat­ed to pre­sent­ing bold, his­tor­i­cal­ly-informed per­for­mances on peri­od instru­ments. Led by Sac State fac­ul­ty mem­ber Dr. Lorna Peters, the ensem­ble con­sists of strings, flute, bas­soon, voice, harp­si­chord, organ, arch­lute, the­o­r­bo, and baroque gui­tar. Its mem­bers, which include some Sac State fac­ul­ty and alum­ni, come from Northern and Southern California, Washington, and Colorado. This con­cert will include works by Avison, Bertali, Muffat, Rameau, Telemann, and Vivaldi.

Arvo Pärt’s Salve Regina, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and Choral Fantasy

Guest artists Dr. Dennette McDermott (Baroque flute), Dr. Doug Bakenhus (Baroque bas­soon), and Lindsey Strand-Polyak (Baroque vio­lin), with Sacramento State’s own David A. Wells on bas­soon and Lorna Peters on harp­si­chord. The pro­gram will include works by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Jean-Daniel Braun, Jiri Čart, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Antonio Vivaldi.

Concert on Baroque bas­soon with Dr. Den­nette McDer­mott (Baroque flute) and Dr. Doug Bak­en­hus (Baroque bassoon)

Viva Vivaldi! In the midst of the rev­el­ry of 18^th-Century Venice, Antonio Vivaldi drew trav­el­ers from all over Europe to hear the per­for­mances of his con­cer­tos. His con­cer­tos have an ener­gy and sweet expres­sive­ness that have sur­vived cen­turies. Sacramento Baroque Soloists present a pro­gram of Vivaldi Concertos includ­ing “Spring” from The Four Seasons, Il Proteo (con­cer­to for vio­lin and cel­lo), and a haunt­ing­ly beau­ti­ful bas­soon con­cer­to fea­tur­ing baroque bas­soon­ist David Wells.

Viva Vivaldi! In the midst of the rev­el­ry of 18^th-Century Venice, Antonio Vivaldi drew trav­el­ers from all over Europe to hear the per­for­mances of his con­cer­tos. His con­cer­tos have an ener­gy and sweet expres­sive­ness that have sur­vived cen­turies. Sacramento Baroque Soloists present a pro­gram of Vivaldi Concertos includ­ing “Spring” from The Four Seasons, Il Proteo (con­cer­to for vio­lin and cel­lo), and a haunt­ing­ly beau­ti­ful bas­soon con­cer­to fea­tur­ing baroque bas­soon­ist David Wells.

Igor Stravinsky’s L’Histoire du Soldat

Voice of the Cello (and Bassoon) – Dark, rich, and sonorous, and also bright, sweet, and expres­sive, the cel­lo is the most ver­sa­tile of instru­ments. In this peren­ni­al favorite con­cert, Sacramento Baroque Soloists’ cel­lists per­form reper­toire of the Baroque era writ­ten for one, two, and three cel­los, joined by baroque bas­soon­ist David Wells and accom­pa­nied by harp­si­chord and organ.Repertoire includes Fasch’s Bassoon Sonata in C major, Corrette’s Concerto “Le Phenix”, and Schwartzkopff’s Trio Sonata for cel­lo, bas­soon, and continuo.

Voice of the Cello (and Bassoon) – Dark, rich, and sonorous, and also bright, sweet, and expres­sive, the cel­lo is the most ver­sa­tile of instru­ments. In this peren­ni­al favorite con­cert, Sacramento Baroque Soloists’ cel­lists per­form reper­toire of the Baroque era writ­ten for one, two, and three cel­los, joined by baroque bas­soon­ist David Wells and accom­pa­nied by harp­si­chord and organ.Repertoire includes Fasch’s Bassoon Sonata in C major, Corrette’s Concerto “Le Phenix”, and Schwartzkopff’s Trio Sonata for cel­lo, bas­soon, and continuo.

Sacramento’s newest peri­od instru­ment ensem­ble makes its debut, shar­ing a pro­gram with Camerata Capistrano, Sacramento State’s stu­dent Baroque ensemble.

Home for the Holidays 2017—A down­town Sacramento tra­di­tion ush­er­ing in the hol­i­day spir­it. Featuring guests bari­tone Matt Hanscom, the Sacramento Children’s Chorus, and pup­pets of the Green Valley Theatre Company.

Candlelit pro­ces­sion • Audience sin­ga­long • Merriment guaranteed!

Holiday Pops with Ashley Brown

Sac State’s wood­wind fac­ul­ty per­form a con­cert of cham­ber music as part of the 2017 Festival of New American Music.

Conductor Ken Hardin has assem­bled a won­der­ful pro­gram of orches­tral favorites – music you know and love! This marks the fifth sea­son of show­cas­ing the ICS Orchestra in its annu­al con­cert of audi­ence-select­ed favorites

Come join Hot Club Faux Gitane for a night of music and fun in the 10^th Street Plaza!

Hot Club Faux Gitane plays the week­ly Music at Noon series. These con­certs are just an hour long, and atten­dees are wel­come to bring and eat their lunch dur­ing the show. Admission is free, but dona­tions are wel­come. More details here: http://www.westminsac.org/music-noon

Dr. Wells per­forms Eric Ewazen’s Concerto for Bassoon and Wind Ensemble with Sac State’s Concert Band under the direc­tion of Gerald Willis

Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, con­duct­ed by Jose Luis Gomez

An evening of hot jazz and gyp­sy swing. All ages – no cover!

Barber, Summer Music for Wind Quintet; Corigliano, Sonata for Violin and Piano; Vern Reynolds, Sonata for Flute and Piano; Korngold, Suite for Left Hand Piano, Two Violins, and Cello

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-win­ning play by American play­wright Thornton Wilder, the opera is an inti­mate and touch­ing look into every­day life in a small town. Written in 2006 by Pulitzer Prize-win­ning com­pos­er Ned Rorem, the opera uti­lizes pleas­ant melodies and tonal har­monies to hon­or a time when our lives were sim­pler, and reminds us of the uni­ver­sal­i­ty of being human and the neces­si­ty of com­pan­ion­ship. This opera will be per­formed in the Gallo Center for the Arts as part of a day­long exhi­bi­tion cel­e­brat­ing the his­to­ry of Modesto.

The Carnegie Arts Center presents an inti­mate con­cert with Hot Club Faux Gitane! Beverages and light snacks will be avail­able to enjoy as you listen.

Wells Fargo Home for the Holidays: A Sacramento tra­di­tion ush­er­ing in the hol­i­day spirit

A Baroque Christmas: Sacramento Baroque Soloists ush­er in the hol­i­day sea­son with a con­cert of favorite Baroque Concertos and their own live­ly arrange­ments of ear­ly Christmas car­ols. Music of Corelli, Vivaldi, Biber, and Schütz.

Join Hot Club Faux Gitane for a night of hot swing in the gal­leries of the Haggin Museum, with com­pli­men­ta­ry wine from Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery and snacks. Our show is a time­ly tie-in with two spe­cial musi­cal exhibits cur­rent­ly mount­ed at the Haggin: Medieval to Metal: The Art & Evolution of the Guitar, and Dave Brubeck: Jazz Ambassador. Refreshments are served begin­ning at 6:30 and the music starts at 7.

Faculty bas­soon­ist Dr. David A. Wells brings his uncon­ven­tion­al swing band to Sac State’s School of Music. Hot Club Faux Gitane com­bines the sophis­ti­ca­tion of 1930s Parisian Gypsy jazz (à la Django Reinhardt) with stan­dards and orig­i­nal tunes. The core of Hot Club Faux Gitane’s sound is the tra­di­tion­al rhythm/lead gui­tars and acoustic bass, but they add bas­soon, man­dolin, and occa­sion­al oth­er instru­ments for a unique twist. In addi­tion to Wells, the group includes man­dolin­ist Gary Williams, gui­tarists Billy Gay and Eric Johnson, bassist John Ady, and fea­tures vocal­ist Francesca Bavaro.

An evening of hot jazz and gyp­sy swing. All ages – no cover!

Hot Club Faux Gitane plays the week­ly Music at Noon series. These con­certs are just an hour long, and atten­dees are wel­come to bring and eat their lunch dur­ing the show. Admission is free, but dona­tions are wel­come. More details here: http://www.westminsac.org/music-noon

An evening of hot jazz and gyp­sy swing. All ages – no cover!

Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. Based on the best­selling 1993 mem­oir by Sister Helen Prejean, the opera tells the pow­er­ful sto­ry of her dif­fi­cult jour­ney pro­vid­ing spir­i­tu­al guid­ance to a death row inmate at Louisiana State Penitentiary fac­ing immi­nent exe­cu­tion, the trou­bling impact on the fam­i­lies of the vic­tims, and the issue of the death penal­ty in our soci­ety. With a bril­liant libret­to by Terrance McNally and a dra­mat­ic and incred­i­bly lyric musi­cal set­ting by Jake Heggie, this opera is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave, Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, and Ottorino Respighi’s Pines of Rome. With Jon Nakamatsu, piano

An evening of hot jazz and gyp­sy swing. All ages – no cover!

Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Jonathan Dove’s Psalms for Leo (West Coast Premiere), Karl Jenkins’s Songs of Sanctuary, and Josef Suk’s Towards a New Life (Written for the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles)

Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and Stravinsky’s Symphony in C. Behzod Abduraimov, piano; Case Scaglione, conductor.

Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd. Based on count­less ser­i­al nov­els that gripped Londoners dur­ing the Victorian era – the more grue­some the bet­ter – a bar­ber wrong­ful­ly jailed by a cor­rupt judge returns to nine­teenth cen­tu­ry London to seek vengeance in Stephen Sondheim’s macabre musi­cal com­e­dy. A mix of intense bal­lads and music-hall com­e­dy that turns this sor­did and bloody tale into riv­et­ing enter­tain­ment, Sweeney Todd is wide­ly rec­og­nized as one of the great­est scores writ­ten for the mod­ern American lyric stage. Experience this leg­endary musi­cal com­e­dy like nev­er before: in the full oper­at­ic set­ting many believe this piece deserves – high qual­i­ty singing and no ampli­fied sound!

The Meg Quigley Vivaldi Competition and Bassoon Symposium is an inspir­ing three-day event ded­i­cat­ed to bas­soon mas­ter class­es, pre­sen­ta­tions, con­certs, and the live semi­fi­nal and final rounds of a com­pe­ti­tion for young women bas­soon­ists from the Americas. The fourth MQVC Bassoon Symposium, at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, is open to bas­soon­ists of all ages, gen­ders, and abil­i­ty lev­els. See mqvc.org for more details.

Wells Fargo Home for the Holidays

Copland’s Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo, Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Berlioz’s Symphonie fan­tas­tique

The inau­gur­al con­cert of the Sacramento State School of Music Alumni Series fea­tures bas­soon­ist Dorian Antipa, oboist Cindy Behmer, and pianist Erina Saito. Also appear­ing will be John Cozza, Timothy Stanley, Gina Vitanza, Faythe Vollrath, and David A. Wells.

Dorian Antipa presents a recital of works by Miroshnikov, Hindemith, Saint-Saëns, and Poulenc, along with Michel Corrette’s Le Phenix for four bassoons.

Sacramento State’s wood­wind fac­ul­ty per­forms the works for the 2016 California High School All-State Band/Orchestra Auditions: Poem by Charles Griffes (Laurel Zucker, flute); Sonate by Paul Hindemith (Deborah Shidler, oboe); Sonata by Francis Poulenc (Sandra McPherson, clar­inet); Sonata by Bernhard Heiden (Keith Bohm, sax­o­phone); and Sonata in F Minor by Georg Philipp Telemann (David A. Wells, bas­soon). With John Cozza (piano), Lorna Peters (harp­si­chord), and Timothy Stanley (cel­lo).

The fac­ul­ty will also present mas­ter class­es on these works and those for aux­il­iary instru­ments, start­ing at 6pm. Register for the mas­ter class­es here.

HCFG opens for Jay Leno!

Solo de Concert by Gabriel Pierné; Sonata No. 2 para dois fagotes by Francisco Mignone; Sonate, op. 168 by Camille Saint-Saëns; Hopi by Philippe Hersant; and Guillaume Tell Fantaisie by Jean François Barthelemy Cokken (after Rossini).

With John Cozza (piano) and Dorian Antipa (bas­soon).

The Mill Ave Chamber Players per­form tran­scrip­tions for wood­wind quin­tet of works by Claude Debussy, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Andrew Thomson at the 2015 International Horn Society Conference.

This con­cert will include MACP mem­bers: Monica Anthony (flute), Nikolaus Flickinger (oboe), Erin Finkelstein (clar­inet), Rose French (horn), and guest artist David A. Wells (bas­soon).

The Sacramento Philharmonic returns after a one-year hia­tus, with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”)

Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus

Dan Forrest, Requiem for the Living (West Coast Premiere)
James Hopkins, Songs of Eternity
Howard Hanson, Sea Symphony

Giacomo Puccini, Tosca

Hot Club Faux Gitane plays for the Modesto Traditional Jazz Society’s annu­al rent par­ty, along with Ernie Bucios Little Big Band and the Creole Jazz Kings. HCFG’s set starts at 2, but the whole event runs 12:30–4:30.

U‑Create! is an event fea­tur­ing faculty/student research and per­for­mance projects from Sacramento State’s College of Arts and Letters.Sac State sopho­more Jack Fanning and Dr. Wells will per­form a new work for elec­tric bas­soon duo.

W. A. Mozart, Great Mass in C Minor
Cecilia McDowall, Magnificat

Hot Club Faux Gitane plays under the aus­pices of the Sacramento Community Concert Association.

André Previn, A Streetcar Named Desire

An evening of hot jazz and gyp­sy swing. All ages — no cover!

As soloist in W.A. Mozart’s Concerto in B‑flat, K. 191 for bas­soon and orchestra

All ages — no cover!

This con­cert cel­e­brates the release of the Mill Ave Chamber Players’ first CD, record­ed in June 2014. The disc fea­tures tran­scrip­tions for wood­wind quin­tet of works by Claude Debussy, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Andrew Thomson.

This con­cert will include MACP mem­bers: Monica Anthony (flute), Nikolaus Flickinger (oboe), Erin Finkelstein (clar­inet), Rose French (horn), and guest artist David A. Wells (bas­soon).

This con­cert cel­e­brates the release of the Mill Ave Chamber Players’ first CD, record­ed in June 2014. The disc fea­tures tran­scrip­tions for wood­wind quin­tet of works by Claude Debussy, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Andrew Thomson.

This con­cert will include MACP mem­bers: Monica Anthony (flute), Nikolaus Flickinger (oboe), Erin Finkelstein (clar­inet), Rose French (horn), and guest artist David A. Wells (bas­soon).

Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem with soloists sopra­no Marnie Breckenridge and bass Eugene Brancoveanu.

When Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring received its much-talked-about pre­miere at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées on May 29, 1913, bas­soon­ist Abdon Laus had the task of play­ing the now-famous open­ing solo. But Laus is lit­tle known today, despite the fact that he went on to play twen­ty-six sea­sons with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (sev­en­teen as prin­ci­pal). Much mythol­o­gy has grown up around the piece’s pre­miere in gen­er­al and the open­ing solo in par­tic­u­lar — such as the oft-repeat­ed and like­ly apoc­ryphal com­ment attrib­uted to Camille Saint-Saëns (“If that’s a bas­soon, then I’m a baboon!”). This lec­ture will explore Laus’s life, career, and train­ing, with par­tic­u­lar focus on his role as the first to play the Rite and a look at his bas­soon. It will also exam­ine the solo in the con­text of ear­li­er orches­tral and solo reper­toire for bas­soon, address var­i­ous sto­ries about the reac­tions it pro­voked in musi­cians and audi­ence mem­bers, and attempt to sort through con­flict­ing reports of Stravinsky’s intent for how it should be played.

All ages — no cover!

John Rutter’s Mass of the Children

Johannes Brahms’s Schicksalslied, John Burge’s Angels’ Voices, Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Toward the Unknown Region, and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana

A con­cert of Baroque arias by J.S. Bach, Bononcini, Fux, Graun, Handel, and Vivaldi for bass and low instru­ments, with addi­tion­al works by C.P.E. Bach, Couperin, and Geminiani. A num­ber of the arias for bass with bas­soon obbli­ga­to are unpub­lished, and have been tak­en straight from man­u­scripts in European archives.

Beer brewed by Ben Prima will be avail­able to accom­pa­ny the music (to those of age). Choose from either a dark bass clef stout or a peri­od-appro­pri­ate gruit.

The per­form­ers are: Timothy Stanley (cel­lo), Faythe Vollrath (harp­si­chord), David A. Wells (bas­soon), and Daniel Yoder (bass). $5 sug­gest­ed donation.